Like Real People Do
by ceasarette
Summary: At this point he thinks he's spent more time worrying about their love life than his.


To say that Benjamin Burke has been through a lot would be an understatement. A car accident took him from looking for his father in the outskirts of a town he never heard of and into two thousand years later and a world that seemed like both a nightmare and a dream at the same time. But he took everything that's happened and just rolled with it, as best as he could because honestly, what else was he going do? So yeah, he wakes up every morning, looks in his mirror and repeats a mantra – "Just roll with it, Ben."

But watching his mother fall in love with his dead father's former mistress was not something he was prepared for. And that's not even the worst part because the former mistress? Well, she's fallen in love with his mom, too.

And he knows he shouldn't reduce them to just being his mother and his dad's former mistress. He had wanted to keep hating Kate, he really did but it's hard to hold on to hate when you are consumed with other feelings like confusion and guilt and loss and loneliness. It's hard to keep hating someone who was one of the first faces you saw when you first woke up after your dad died, concern and gratitude rolling off her as she sighs in relief when she was sure you were okay. It's hard to keep hating someone who held your mom as she cried in the rare instances when she allowed herself to mourn.

So yeah, by the time he had half-jokingly told Kate to just move in already after finding her crashed in their sofa for the third morning that week, he had stopped hating her. He'll never admit it out loud to anyone, especially not to Kate, but by that time he was starting to respect her, to care about her. That's why when Kate only laughed at his suggestion, he changed tactics and 'accidentally' told his mom that Kate might be sleeping at the Sherriff's station on the nights she wasn't with them. He didn't think his mom would actually make Kate move in with them, but there he was, lugging boxes of Kate's surveillance equipment into the spare room they turned into an office.

He thought there was going to be an adjustment. There should be, right? Because for everything that they went through together, Kate is still an outsider to their little family unit and surely, that calls for a little awkwardness at least for a little bit. But no. After that brief but chaotic day when Kate dragged her meagre belongings into their house, things settled down pretty quickly. More often than not, Ben wakes up with breakfast prepared because apparently Kate wakes up ridiculously early and hates being idle in the morning. Her mom grumbled at first about showering in cold water because Kate used up all the hot water but apparently, the extra few minutes she gets in bed in the morning as well as the cup of 'special' coffee Kate has ready for her more than makes up for it. And so life in Burke household resumed to normal, or as normal as it can get considering the circumstances.

If that was all there was to it, Ben would have been completely okay with it. He would have been happy, to be honest. But no. He started to notice things. Little things that he can shrug off, that he did shrug off. Like how there would be less nights when he would wake up to his mom's screams as she fights off monsters in her dreams because Kate wouldn't let it get that far, waking Theresa up before it gets bad. Like how his mom is smiling more and more and that smile would actually reach her eyes, especially when Kate was around. Or how the moments when Kate is quiet and introspective gets shorter, where the burden she seems to carry around her shoulders seem to weigh less whenever his mom would reach out to squeeze Kate's arm or hand. And how both women's smiles toward each other grew warmer each day, and they grew more comfortable in giving each other gentle touches like a hug or a squeeze to the shoulders.

It was hard not to notice those things, especially when both women had seemed to be obsessed with making sure that Ben was always around, that he was safe inside their home where they could protect him from the abbies and the David Pilchers and the Meghans of the world. But that was normal, right? It was normal for people to grow closer, especially when they went through what they went through together and now share a home together, especially for women because women are not afraid to talk about their feelings and stuff.

But then there were more. Kate started making corny jokes and his mom would laugh at them. And Kate, Miss "I-was-a-Secret-Service-agent-and-I'm-the-Sherriff,-I-can-do-whatever-the-hell-I-want" started not going out on patrols outside the fence with the guards because his mom said, "Please, Kate" really quietly with big, round eyes and a little pout. His mom would smile a smile that just makes her light up whenever Kate comes into a room and Kate would smile back at her and he could _feel_ the change in both of them – like a combination of relief that the other woman was safe and a kind of giddy energy at being in the same room together. Ben thought it was sweet until he remembered this was his mom and Kate.

He started having this feeling in his gut, tight and persistent like he was missing something important and he grew tired of it so he sat down and thought about everything. He tried to be objective about it, to view the situation as an outsider and acknowledged that it makes sense, his mom and Kate. He even got as far as thinking that they both deserve it, they both deserve to be happy together because they certainly earned that happiness. But then he remembers his dad and things get complicated and he falls asleep with a headache.

Things got pretty awkward after that. He really tried not to let it show because it seems like even though he noticed the shift in their dynamic (he can't say the R word just yet), both Kate and his mom appear to be clueless about what's going on and he didn't want to bring that to their attention in case he was wrong. But he couldn't look at Kate in the eye for a while after that, sometimes even his mom. And he found himself uncomfortably clearing his throat whenever the women would look at each other for more than five seconds. And yeah, that lasted two days before both women launched separate attacks at him trying to figure out what was bothering him.

In the end he told Amy. She's the first and only person he ever told because if thinking about it was weird, saying it out loud was even harder. But he needed to tell someone because he could feel himself wearing thin at having to keep this to himself. And Amy was being cool about it, not even that surprised when he told her, like she can see it too and honestly Ben isn't sure how he feels about that. But he was really, really glad he told her when after a while she looks at him and just says, "Wanna talk about it?" because yeah, he had no idea until then just how much he wants to talk about it.

This is one of the reasons why he really likes Amy. Because she just let him talk and talk and talk, like she knew he needed to get that off his chest or he's going to explode. And if talking about the dynamic shift between his mom and Kate was hard, talking about how he feels about it was easy. Amy asked questions, enough just to clear things up and enough to show that she was listening and interested in what he had to say, but tried not to interrupt him and he was really glad about that because finally, he feels that tight, persistent feeling in his stomach ease up a little bit.

Talking about it with Amy made it easier to accept what he had discovered. That's not to say he doesn't feel awkward whenever his mom would openly stare at Kate or when Kate gets that weird look on her face whenever his mom makes lasagne. But he had stopped panicking and wanting to leave the room whenever they would look at each other with sappy smiles on their faces.

A month into the "revelation" and he's had enough. He's had enough of the longing looks and the sappy smiles and the corny jokes and the lingering touches. Surely they've figured it out by now? He's not even an adult and he's figured it out pretty quick and they're supposed to be trained to be Secret Service! His mom is pretty mellow and calm, but she's the smartest person he knows and the bravest and the most take-charge and she can get things done with just one look and that particular tone of her voice. And Kate is one of the biggest bad-ass he was lucky enough to be around with, building bombs and cutting off an Abby's head with a monkey wrench. Surely they can see that they're basically like an old married couple at this point?

Then he thought that maybe they have figured it out, had thought about things and came to the same conclusion he did, that they had feelings for each other but were worried about him. That must be it. He needed to let them both know that it was weird, but it's okay. That he just wanted both of them to be happy and if it's with both of them then all the better (he thinks). So that's what he did.

Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. He started with his mom because it's his mom; surely it's easier to talk about this with his mom. But all he could manage was, "Mom, you know I love you, right?" which earned him a look of concern and an "Of course, Ben! And I love you, too" with just a hint of worry behind it and the unspoken "Where is this coming from?" What else could be do but add, "I just want you to be happy, mom." Amy laughed at his attempt of gently nudging the women in the right direction so he didn't tell her that he didn't even try with Kate yet and that he'd just leave both women alone and let them figure it out themselves.

That didn't last long because honestly, he thinks it's bordering on pathetic how utterly clueless his mom and Kate are. It actually is pathetic how they would both act so sappy even when he's around. So he tries again, actually thinking about what he's going to say and planning it out. And when it's just him and Kate at home one night because his mom was trying to figure out botany to make more food for everyone, he sees his chance. But he really should have known better than to start with, "Kate, do you think my mom is pretty?" He really wanted to kick himself but he thought it couldn't be that bad because Kate didn't even miss a beat when she replied, "Your mom is beautiful" with a sappy smile but then she seemed to remember that they were talking about his mother and she blushed and seriously, the look on her face when she faced Ben was worth the whole awkward situation. "I mean – " Kate was blushing furiously now and it took everything he had not to burst out laughing. They were both saved by her mother's timely arrival with shout of "I want food that I didn't have to figure out how to grow, please!"

After that, Ben gave up any plans of verbally telling the women that it's okay to date each other if they wanted. Talking was too difficult. That's not to say he stopped trying altogether, though. He focused his attentions on other avenues, like setting up dates for the women, making plans with them to spend 'family time' together and then bailing out so it's just the two of them. Sometimes he stays for the whole thing, because now that he's fully accepted the truth that they're both hopelessly in love with each other, he doesn't find it so awkward being around them so much and he realized he actually misses their time together. And seriously, he can actually _feel_ his mom's happiness whenever all three of them are together and that touches a place in his heart that he thought was broken forever.

But yeah, he sets them up. Ice cream date here, a movie and stargazing there, even a nice walk/quasi-patrol on the border because every once in a while even her mom gets the urge to see that the fence is working perfectly fine and that they will be safe, at least for tonight. And he's told himself that he will always make sure that Kate and his mom would have some time alone together, but that's as far as he would go because honestly, at this point he thinks he's spent more time worrying about their love life than his. So he promised himself that he wouldn't interfere anymore, not unless he is asked. After all, both women seem to be pretty happy and content with whatever is going on with them, so why change that?

They were just finishing dinner – lasagne because Kate had a tough day dealing with the few disgruntled and misguided First Generation boys on their third strike and even Ben could see the toll it's taking on her when she first came home. But after two helpings of the lasagne and her favourite ice cream, the lines of stress on her face eased and the stiffness in her shoulders were gone. "Thank you for dinner, Theresa. I swear, your lasagne just makes everything better." Ben watches with amusement as her mom blushes at the compliment, even though Kate says almost the same thing every time they have lasagne.

"It's just lasagne, Kate. And I thought it would help turn your day around since it didn't sound good when you called earlier." His mom was still blushing, trying and failing to hide it by starting to gather the dishes. Kate automatically stood up and gathered plates, too while saying, "You know me so well."

Ben gave the women a few seconds before standing up and taking what was left on the table to the kitchen. When he got there, his mother was trying to shoo Kate away who had started doing the dishes.

"Kate, no! Why don't you go ahead and open that bottle of wine from Pam and relax in the sofa for a few minutes. I'll join you when I finish here." Theresa tried again as she reached out for the sponge in Kate's hand. Interestingly, she never actually took the sponge but continued holding on to Kate's hand.

"No, you go and open that bottle of wine and relax in the sofa. You cooked, I clean, okay?" Kate didn't move her hand away, but playfully bumped her hips against Theresa's and Theresa responded in kind and then they both giggle at how silly they had become. They were standing close together, so close that Ben would find it awkward if he wasn't already familiar to the sight because it's actually stranger to see both women not close together these days. But yeah, it was silly because they were elbow deep in suds and dirty dishes and Ben is pretty sure that they're actually holding hands under the water and he couldn't keep it in any longer.

He started laughing with them (because he doesn't giggle), low at first and then loud that both women started to turn to him. Their faces read amusement and that made Ben laugh harder because they're amused at him but they're actually the ones who look like sappy lovesick idiots holding hands while doing dinner dishes. His laugh is bordering on crazy now, because he thinks it's finally catching up to him, and there are tears on his eyes but he can't seem to stop.

"Excuse me, young man, are you laughing at the old ladies?" It's an old insider joke now, shared between the three of them because they are a family. Kate's the one who asked but his mom has her hands on her hips, eyebrows raised at him.

"Seriously, guys. You know it's okay, right? I'm okay with it." He said after a few minutes when he finally got the laughter down. He tries on his most sincere smile to support his words.

Raised eyebrows furrowed and Theresa asks Kate a silent question with a look answered by the small shake of her head. "You're okay with what?" His mom asks, confusion clear now.

"Oh my God! Come on, I'm not a kid anymore. I can deal with it." Another shared look and oh no, it looks like they're still clueless. "Oh. My. God." Ben takes a deep breath. "You have the hots for each other!" He finally blurted out.

And was immediately met with silence and the rapid blinking of eyelids before a chorus of "Benjamin Burke!" and "Excuse me?"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He said quickly, raising both hands to shield himself from the onslaught of reprimand he knew were coming. Yep, he still sucks at the talking part. He chanced a glance at his mom and Kate, still standing close together but refusing to look at each other and sporting identical blushes. He smiled, maybe he can do this after all. "You like each other." He started tentatively, still carefully watching both women who, he was glad to see, did not move away from each other. He quickly raised his hand again when he sees his mom open her mouth and he just knows what she's going to say next. "Not like that, mom." She shuts her mouth again. "You love each other." He said, more confident this time and it's really quite amazing the twin looks of panic on Kate and his mom's face at the words. "Relax. It's okay, really." He smiles to assure them that it is. "I get it, you know? I didn't at first, but watching you two together, it makes sense. And I just really want you both to be happy." Ben can feel something in his throat and it's a sign that he should stop talking and relax a little bit or there's going to be tears next and he doesn't think tears would be a good idea right now.

"You do?" Kate asks tentatively, as if she knows they're expected to say something but isn't sure what to say. She takes a quick sideways glance to Theresa at the same time that Theresa turns to look at her and Kate hesitantly smiles. His mom smiles back and Ben thinks if he was a girl he would squeal right about now and it was seriously too much.

"You know what I don't get, though?" He started because the women were looking at each other all googly-eyed now. They turned back to him, question on their faces. "How the hell – yes, okay, I'll do the dishes tomorrow – how the hell did it take you this long to not do anything?! Because I knew ages ago and do you know how difficult it was to watch you two dance around each other?" The women looked at him with big, wide eyes and Ben shook his head. "Seriously? Did you not notice I kept making plans with you and kept not showing up?" Kate smiled at him tentatively, like she had a feeling but wasn't sure and his mom looked like she had solved something in her head and finally Ben sighed in relief. "How could you both have passed Secret Service and not notice that?" Ben is just having fun now, but after everything they put him through, he figures he can put in a dig or two. "I thought girls were supposed to be good with feelings!"

"Hey!" The women said weakly in unison and Ben laughed. "I think you two need to talk." He started walking backwards, giving the women the space they needed to talk then stopped and walked back towards them. He kissed his mom on the cheek and gently squeezed Kate's shoulder but Kate looked like she was going to cry so Ben hugged her. He's not sure but he thinks he heard his mom sigh in happiness. Kate looked at him after they broke off and he just nodded before letting her go.

"I promised Amy I'll help her babysit the Miller twins tonight so I guess I'll see you later." He didn't want to look at them anymore because he is sure that he's going to start crying. "I'll have my phone!" He added as he tapped his pocket, walking out of the kitchen and up the stairs to his room to get his bag.

He could hear them quietly talking when he came back down and he couldn't resist listening in a little.

"Do you want to go on a date with me?" Kate asked, her voice so full of hope and anticipation and a little bit of hesitation and other things that Ben could not name.

"You mean something that my son did not plan?" He heard his mom tease, but he could tell that she's smiling that sappy smile again and Kate laughed.

"That stargazing thing was nice, though!" Kate protested on his behalf and Ben felt himself smile.

"It was. Think you could top that, Sherriff?" Theresa challenged and Ben could feel that almost physical presence of his mom's happiness surround him.

"Why don't you say yes and find out?" Kate countered and Ben slowly backed away from the kitchen because he didn't need to hear his mom's answer. He already knows what she's going to say.


End file.
